Spring device for drop end doors of gondola cars



o. INGRAM 2,506,218 SPRING DEVICE FOR DRO P END DOORS OF GONDOLA CARS May 2, 1950 2 Sheets Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1946 May 2, 1950 o. INGRAM 2,506,218

SPRING DEVICE FOR DROP END DOORS OF GONDOLA CARS Filed March 6, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 on the door. Each of these spring devices includes a helical spring H which at its inner end is disposed within a housing i8 in engagement with a follower l9 and which at its outer end engages a plunger or the like 26.

The plunger 20 may advantageously be formed in two parts, one of which, 2|, has a base portion 22 in engagement with the spring H. A cylindrical centering flange 23 extends from one side of the base 22 into the adjacent helix of the spring and a cored tubular member 24 projects from the other side of the base through the adjacent side marginal flange IE! of the door. As shown, the portion of the door through which member 24 extends may be suitably reinforced by a bracket 25 which, in addition to being rigidly secured to the main body portion of the door, has a portion 26 overlapping the inner face of the adjacent marginal flange provided with an opening which is in registry with the opening in the door flange. The other part of the plunger has a head 21 and an elongated stem 28 which fits within the tubular extension of the main part of the plunger.

The follower [9 against which the inner end of the spring bears is likewise provided with a pro jecting portion 29 which extends into the adjacent helix of the spring for centering it.

In addition to the oppositely extending base flanges 3!) by which the inwardly opening housing is secured to the door, the housing is also formed with a pair of rearwardly extending lugs 3| between which a member 32 is rotatably mounted, as indicated at 33 for engaging the outer face of the follower 19. The member 32 is provided with a plurality of angularly related faces 34 spaced unequal distances from the axis of rotation of the member so that by selectively choosing the face to engage the follower, the compression of the spring may be selectively adjusted.

Mounted on each of the car side walls adjacent opposite side edges of the door are members 35 respectively having portions 36 which incline inwardly with respect to the walls. Members 35, together with the incline portions 35 thereof, are curved about the pivotal axis of the door as a center so that the heads 21 of the spring devices will frictionally engage them during the entire time the dor is moving to open position. As the portions 36 incline inwardly with respect to the car sides and the heads 2'! remain in engagement therewith during opening movement or the door, it will be seen that the springs are progressively compressed with the result that the frictional forces exerted by the heads on the car sides increase as the door approaches open position.

While the rotatable member 22 may be disposed in such a position that the spring I1 is not under compression when the door is in closed position, it is preferred that the adjustment of member 32 be such that the spring will be under some initial compression when the door is in this position. Instead of having the incline portions 35 extend all the way to the floor of the car, the inclines preferably terminate a short distance above the floor, as indicated at 31. At their lower ends, the inclines lead to substantially vertical raised portions 38 so that, when the door is in open position, the forces exerted by the springs will cause the heads 21 to frictionally engage those portions. With the door in this position and the heads 2! engaging the substantially vertical portions 38, the force exerted by the springs, instead of permitting the door to rise slightly above the floor and jiggle up and down While the car is in transit, will serve to frictionally hold the drop end door in engagement with the floor whether the car be stationary or in transit.

To prevent the spring devices from being injured when the door is open, a transversely extending Z-bar 39 may be secured to the door just above the spring devices. This Z-bar is so arranged with respect to the top copin angle 2 that the weight of the door when opened may be primarily taken by the angle and the Z-bar.

When the door is in closed position, it engages the inner faces of webs 49 or corner posts 4| and, as the door swings from closed to open position, a wear plate 42 secured to the lower marginal flange ll of the door and having a curved portion 43 concentric with the hinge pintles I2 moves relatively to the floor and the hinged edge of the door is supported on the curved portion 4% when the door is fully open.

Various modifications may be made in the particular embodiment of the invention here illustrated and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A railway gondola car having a drop end door pivotally connected thereto, said door having inturned marginal flanges along its side edges, a helical spring mounted on the door with its axis substantiall parallel with the axis of the door, a plunger respectively cooperable with said helical spring and extending through said flanges for exerting a frictional force on the adjacent car side, and means having a cam surface attached to said car side for causing the spring pressure exerted by said spring to increase as the door approaches open position.

2. A railway gondola car having a drop end door pivotally connected thereto, said door having an inturned marginal flange along one of its side edges, extending through said flange and engageable with an adjacent car side, a spring for maintaining said plunger in frictional engagement with the adjacent car side, a movable i abutment on the door against which said spring reacts, and means having a cam surface on said car side for respectively increasing the pressure of said spring as the door approaches open position.

3. A railway gondola car having a drop end door pivotally connected thereto, a spring device mounted on the door, said device being frictionally engageable with the adjacent side wall of the car, and members carried by said side walls having cam surfaces for respectively increasing the frictional force of said spring device as the door is moved to open position, said sprin device including a plunger engageable with the memberson the adjacent side of the car, a spring for .maintaining the plunger in frictional engagement with said member, and a movable abutment on the door against which the spring reacts.

4. A railway gondola car having a drop end door pivotally connected thereto, a member having a cam .suriace carried by the adjacent side of the car, and a spring device mounted on the door and cooperable with said member, said de-. vice including a helical spring, an element maintained by the spring in frictional engagement with the member on the adjacent side of the car for progressively compressing the spring when p the door is moved toward open position, and a movable abutment against which the spring reacts.

5. A railway gondola ,car ,having a drop end door pivotally connected thereto, a spring device carried by the door having ortions for exerting a frictional force on the adjacent side of the car, and means mounted on the car side having a cam surface for increasing the frictional force of said spring device during movement of the door to open position, said device including a compression spring and a movable element for selectively adjusting the magnitude of the compression of said spring.

6. A railway gondola car having a drop end door pivotally connected thereto, a member carried by the adjacent side of the car and having a cam surface, a spring device mounted on the door respectively cooperable with said member, said device comprising a helical spring, a member cooperable with one end of the spring frictionally engageable with said member on the adjacent side of the car during movement of the door to open position, and adjustable means cooperable with the other end of said spring for selectively adjusting the magnitude of the compression of the spring.

7. A railway gondola car having a drop end door pivotally connected thereto, a member carried by the adjacent side of the car and having a. cam surface, a spring mounted on the door having its axis parallel with the pivotal axis of the door, means cooper-able with the outer end of said spring for frictionally engaging said member on the adjacent side of the car, a housing for the inner end of said spring, a follower disposed within said housing engageable with the inner end of said spring, and means adapted to actuate said follower to selectively adjust the magnitude of compression of said spring.

8. A railway gondola car having a pivotally mounted drop end door adapted to occupy a substantially horizontal position overlapping the floor of the car when in open position, an arcuate member having a cam surface carried by a side of the car, the lower end of said cam surface terminating in a substantially vertical portion, and a spring unit mounted on the door having a portion engageable with said cam surface for afiording frictional resistance to movement of the door to open position, said unit being in frictional engagement with said vertical portion of the arcuate member when the door is fully open.

ORVILLE INGRAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 25 553,484 Detweiler Jan. 21, 1896 1,194,991 Gervais Aug. 15, 1916 2,095,866 Hallenbeck Oct. 12, 1937 2,167,427 Tatum July 25, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 466 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1913 of 1913 

